Central to the lawsuit is director Peter Jackson saying in December that Weinstein had warned him 20 years ago that Judd was a "nightmare" to work with, and should be avoided "at all costs." Jackson was considering Judd for a major role in his "Lord of the Rings" movies, and had met with her about the role.

"I felt very sad when I heard that," she said of Jackson's comments. She told "GMA" that she had been under consideration for two roles and they went "poof" without explanation at the time.

"I was being maligned and defamed," she said.

About a year earlier, Weinstein — in what was supposed to be a business meeting — appeared to Judd in a bathrobe, asked her to watch him shower and to let him massage her, the suit alleges. The allegations are the same that Judd made in The New York Times in October.

"The most basic investigation of the facts will reveal that Mr. Weinstein neither defamed Ms. Judd nor ever interfered with Ms. Judd's career, and instead not only championed her work but also repeatedly approved her casting for two of his movies over the next decade. The actual facts will show that Mr. Weinstein was widely known for having fought for Ms. Judd as his first choice for the lead role in Good Will Hunting and, in fact, arranged for Ms. Judd to fly to New York to be considered for the role. Thereafter, Ms. Judd was hired for not one, but two of Mr. Weinstein's movies, Frida in 2002 and Crossing Over with Harrison Ford in 2009. We look forward to a vigorous defense of these claims."

The lawsuit goes beyond many sexual harassment suits by invoking unfair competition law in an attempt to "shine a light on the broader economic damages caused when individuals in positions of authority attempt to punish those who have resisted their improper advances," Judd's attorney Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. said in a statement.

Jackson, who also said Weinstein also warned him against casting Mira Sorvino, who has also alleged she is among Weinstein's victims. Jackson apologized for playing any unwitting role in the damage done to the women's careers, and the lawsuit is quick to absolve him of any wrongdoing.